CaptainFail. I agree with your statement, "why would he agree to a trade when that will weaken the team he will eventually go to?" While I think he might agree to go a team, and there will be few places where he wants to go, his new team has all the cards. As Nick628 wrote...Fleury for a bag of pucks. Well maybe not, but Fleury for 7th rounder. And the Pens should be happy. Pens don't like it.....you better trade Murray.
But your math is correct about a buyout and a signing to another team, gets Fleury more money (actually the buyout is for four years).

yeah im tired of people thinking bc he was hot for 10 playoffs games that he can fetch you a top 4 d players or a 1st round pick. if he was smart he would get bought out by the pens then let 3 teams that need a goalie have a mini bidding war for him....why would he want the pens to be better off without him? doesnt make any sense esp since they'll be in cap hell very soon. pens fans are why i hate the pens

I got to believe that Jim Rutherford will hold out for at least some depth pieces. Look how much depth has played a factor in Pittsburgh's current playoff run. I am not exactly sure what those would be though. I do think any sort of movement for Fleury will be a trade and it will involve at least 2 pieces, 1 of which being a draft pick. If Fleury truly refused to waive his NMC, I think he is worth more to this team then a buyout/salary cap dump and I could see a scenario being entertained, in such a case, where Matt Murray is shopped.

i think murray could get you a top 4 d man or a 1st ........(low cap, age and true number 1) but people get murray and fluery value confused......i dont think holtby gets you dh

No. MAF will be traded. Why would they buy him out when there are at least 2 teams interested in trading him. Other than that with how often Murray gets hurt, they would just keep him. He still has at least 3 decent years left. Rumors are LV and the Pens already have a deal in place for MAF. Without MAF the pens would be golfing instead of the Caps.

You may be right about depth pieces and JR holding out. But I have gone through the NHL teams that can fit Fleury into their # 1 goalie and the draft and leave the other exposed and I only come up with one team, Calgary.
I'm not sure if Vancouver and Winnipeg would want to expose Markstrom and Hellebuyck. Maybe there is a trade for Lehner with Buffalo/
But my thinking Fleury would not want to go to Vancouver or Winnipeg. So the only two teams that could have a logistics interest in Fleury is Calgary and Buffalo... And there is no guarantee that Fleury would waive his NMC for either of this teams. So I don't know how JR "can hold out". If you can move him, you do it.

I am basing my comments on goalie transactions over the last couple of years. It will always be the market that determines value, so if there are multiple teams interested in a top level goalie with a ton of playoff experience and a cup ring, you need to believe they would offer something of value to Pittsburgh. Now, whether or not Fleury decides to waive his NMC is his contractual right. However, I have to believe that if he refused to waive it and the Pens cannot ship him out before the expansion draft and thus one way or another lose Murray, I think Pens fans would have something to say about that, and they would not be pleased at all, to say the least.

again and ill explain this one more time......why would any team want fluery at his current price he can get bought out and make 2million a year from the pens meaning any team interested could get him for less than 4 million saving then 1.5 minimum...and any team could get grub from washington who is younger and cheaper by 4 million for cheaper? and fluery might be the reason you play golf this series.......

It's the worst kept secret in hockey at the moment that Calgary is highly interested and there was just a report stating that Winnipeg would protect Hellebuyck in this expansion draft, but are looking for an upgrade in net. I would agree with you that the Canucks are not a fit for him. I would think Buffalo is interested by the feeling is not reciprocated by Fleury. If Fleury is looking for a team that will contend for a playoff spot, it's really only Calgary and perhaps Winnipeg. If Winnipeg acquired him pre-expansion draft, they'd have to make some sort of deal with Vegas to leave their goaltenders alone :P

This is such a dumb post. Ignorant caps fan upset that their team can't beat the pens. If you knew anything about hockey and followed trade rumours you would know that fleury is going to vegas.

https://twitter.com/andystrickland/status/862693440601108480

why would any team solve too much money invested in goalies by eating money over next 4 years on a goalie? also love the 5 dmen approach too. caps did that well this season

or ignorant pens fans who think that basic logic doesnt apply to their hockey team......and its a rumor for a reason. their is also a rumor that vegas was taking cole but again rumors are rumors and fluery would need to agree to go to vegas and i bet if he does go youll be losing another piece.

You are making quite the assumption in a buyout scenario that Fleury would take a contract of less than $4 million AAV per season. If the Darling and Bishop contracts are a comparable, and I think in some respects they would be, you are looking at a contract of between $4 million and $5 million AAV over a contract length of at least 3 years (and we know Fleury would want more term from whichever team he chose to go to in that circumstance). So, a team saves a million, maybe 1.5 million, but then it becomes potentially a bidding war, and instead of a team eating the contract and the term Fleury currently has and offsetting that by shipping back some money to Pittsburgh, which will probably happen (or they will retain some AAV), tthey sign Fleury as a free agent to a ridiculously overpriced contract. If Fleury becomes a free agent, which then has no effect on the expansion draft if he signs afterwards, mark my words, there will be a bidding war for his services.

im pretty sure caps used 7 d in the playoffs

did they? couldn't tell

i agree with you so bidding war means more money for fluery...but a bidding war wont fetch him over 4.5 million i doubt a team will overpay for him when the buyers market isnt that great.....

MAF isn't worth anything more than a 3rd. If the Pens get that then trade him or if they can get some decent prospects for the AHL or a depth player do it. If he blocks the trade to that team then send him to Vegas or buy him out. It's that simple

yup they ran 11 f and 7 d

seems like that worked out great for them

It really depends on the market. I am not sure just how many teams are looking for an upgrade in net. You see what the Canes and Dallas did, they avoided a bidding war for targets they thought were good fits, paid a little by way of a draft pick and had the luxury of sitting down with the player, without other teams interfering, and working out a deal. In a situation where Fleury is bought out and becomes a free agent, no team will have that luxury and if there are in fact still 3 teams at least (Calgary, Winnipeg, Vegas) that need an upgrade in net, you need believe there will be some kind of bidding war to get him. If a fair market value deal now is $4.5 million AAV over 4 years for Fleury, both AAV and term could go up based on demand.

I agree with MG1986. It would be in the best interest for MAF to be traded. It would only make sense to him to become a free agent. But MAF has been there and done that. Hes won cups. Gotten paid. Why would you not want to go to a place and be the number 1 solidified goalie for a brand new team. Being the first goalie ever for that team. Nobody wants Grub. He is the backup for a reason. Im sure a lot of goalies could have as great a season as him when you have the 2 time Presidents trophy winning team playing in front of you. Maybe they should have started him in goal instead of Holtby if he is that intriguing. This whole page just wreaks of jealousy and anger towards the Pens/MAF.

I would say, based on recent past deals for goaltenders, Fleury would be worth, as an example, a 2nd round draft pick and Troy Brouwer from Calgary ( Brouwer would be needed to offset Fleury's cap hit ) or say a 2nd, Lance Bouma and Pens retain some AAV. By rules of expansion draft, Pens must protect him over Matt Murray. So, if he unwilling to waive his NMC, it's a moot point, which I believe is what some of posters above were referring to. If that is the case, the Pens have two choices. They can buy Fleury out, at which point they'd receive nothing for him and he'd become an FA and can sign with whomever he wanted to, or Pens deal Matt Murray. If Fleury ends up Vegas, he will need to approve the deal.

grub had better stats this year then fluery and most of the starters in the nhl but i assume you know nothing about hockey due to that statement.....also no anger besides how delusional pens fans are bout the value of fluery.

also 5 teams need goalies.........2 got goalies...bishop being the best available...vegas has the ability to get a lot of talent in goal and winn and buff dont really need huge upgrades in goal and idk if fluery iss a huge upgrade to what they have already

oh yeah jitta18 rumor at the deadline was cal offered a 1st for grub but im sure you know that bc you are very smart

I appreciate the support. A NMC allows a player pure control over destination, so Fleury would be solely in the drive seat. And that would be the case whether he is bought out and becomes an FA or gets traded. It's the price Pens have to live with, unfortunately, for giving him that NMC but I think Fleury deserved to have that in his contract after what he's done for the Pens franchise. Regardless, this will be totally up to Fleury 100%. I think both Calgary and WInnipeg would be appealing to him, probably Calgary more so since there is really no other goalie to bump him from the starters spot (which in Winnipeg, could be Helleychuck, at some point). Vegas is an interesting destination, but they likely won't be competitive for at least a couple years. As for Philip Grubauer, I firmly believe that he will get his chance to be a number 1 goalie. I am not sure if he has the skill set to become one or not, but he needs to be given a chance and may very well get one with Vegas. For the record, I am neither a Pens fans or Caps fans.

6 teams* the caps need a goalie if they are gonna lose Grub in free agency